The Kings ran out to a four-goal lead then needed to maintain off a frantic Edmonton comeback to beat the Oilers 6-5 in a wild opener of a best-of-seven first-round playoff collection at Crypto.com Enviornment on Monday evening.
Phillip Danault scored the winner, his second objective of the sport, with 41 seconds to play after the Kings led 4-0 late within the second interval.
Andrei Kuzmenko, Quinton Byfield, Adrian Kempe and Kevin Fiala additionally scored for the Kings. Leon Draisaitl, Mattias Janmark, Corey Perry, Zach Hyman and Connor McDavid scored for Edmonton. Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper made 20 saves.
The objectives from Hyman and McDavid got here after Edmonton pulled its goalie within the closing three minutes. McDavid’s objective, which tied it 5-5, got here with 88 seconds to play. However Danault erased that lower than a minute later.
The objectives from Kuzmenko within the first interval and from Fiala within the third got here on energy performs. The Oilers didn’t enable a power-play objective in 12 possibilities in final yr’s playoff win over the Kings.
Nevertheless it’s not a lot how the Kings begin as it’s how they end of their playoff collection with Edmonton. The Kings gained the opening sport in two of their final three playoff conferences with the Oilers however went on to lose the collection every time. Nonetheless, all of these collection began in Edmonton; this time the Kings drew first blood at house, the place they gained a franchise-record 31 occasions throughout the common season.
Kings ahead Adrian Kempe places the puck previous Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner within the second interval of Recreation 1 on Monday evening.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Instances)
Kuzmenko and Kempe had two assists whereas Byfield and Fiala had one every to go along with their objectives.
The Oilers, who took the Florida Panthers to a seventh sport earlier than falling in final yr’s Stanley Cup Last, limped into the playoffs wounded however mounted a late comeback simply the identical. Draisaitl, who led the NHL with 52 objectives, missed the ultimate seven video games of the common season with a lower-body damage whereas McDavid, fourth within the league with 74 assists, missed 9 of the ultimate 14 video games with a lower-body damage.
Collectively Draisaitl and McDavid mixed for 206 factors throughout the common season however they hadn’t been on the ice collectively in additional than a month till Monday, when McDavid assisted on the objectives by Draisaitl, Perry and Hyman, then scored the tying objective.
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Kings ahead Quinton Byfield, left, celebrates with ahead Kevin Fiala after scoring within the first interval of Recreation 1 at Crypto.com Enviornment on Monday evening. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Instances)
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Kings ahead Andrei Kuzmenko scores previous Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner (74) and defenseman Joshua Brown (44) in Recreation 1 on Monday evening. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Instances)
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Kings followers cheer in entrance of a digital picture of ahead Trevor Moore earlier than Recreation 1 towards the Oilers. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Instances)
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Los Angeles, CA, Monday, April 21, 2025 -Los Angeles Kings heart Anze Kopitar (11) battles for place in entrance of Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner (74) in sport one of many NHL playoffs at Crypto.com Enviornment. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Instances) (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Instances)
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Los Angeles, CA, Monday, April 21, 2025 – Edmonton Oilers left wing Zach Hyman (18) scores a third interval objective, chopping the Kings result in 5-4 late in sport one of many NHL playoffs at Crypto.com Enviornment. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Instances) (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Instances)
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Los Angeles, CA, Monday, April 21, 2025 – Edmonton Oilers heart Connor McDavid (97) celebrates in entrance a despondent Kings bench after scoring a game-tying objective within the final minute of sport one of many NHL playoffs at Crypto.com Enviornment. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Instances) (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Instances)
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Los Angeles, CA, Monday, April 21, 2025 – Los Angeles Kings heart Phillip Danault (24) heads up ice throughout first interval motion towards the Edmonton Oilers in sport one of many NHL playoffs at Crypto.com Enviornment. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Instances) (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Instances)
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Los Angeles, CA, Monday, April 21, 2025 – Los Angeles Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper (35) defends the online with out his stick as defenseman Jordan Spence (21) holds off the assault of Edmonton Oilers proper wing Vasily Podkolzin (92) in sport one of many NHL playoffs at Crypto.com Enviornment. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Instances) (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Instances)
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Los Angeles, CA, Monday, April 21, 2025 – Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty (8) lays out in entrance of the online to defend agains the shot of Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse (25) within the second interval in sport one of many NHL playoffs at Crypto.com Enviornment. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Instances) (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Instances)
